• By Jeremiah Ndjoze

The Swapo Party’s attempt to rectify the ongoing bungling up of the renewal of mandate process of all structures in Epukiro district and the nominations for the aspiring regional councillor candidates for the area, hit a snag on Monday. 
This is after Cornelia Shilunga, the party leader assigned to the region aborted a meeting that meant to mediate between two disputing factions, citing safety reasons.

The party head quarter’s intervention is said to have been necessitated by ongoing squabbles between prospective regional councilours and amongst party supporters at Epukiro.

Confidente is in possession of a letter which was written by Swapo secretary general (SG), Sophia Shaningwa and addressed to Shilunga, as the chairperson of the national leaders assigned to the Omaheke region, on 10 July 2025.

In the communication, also copied to the SWAPO regional coordinator, Ruth Kauaria and all members of the Epukiro district executive committee, Shaningwa informs them that “the Swapo Political Bureau, at a meeting held on 7 July 2025, resolved to nullify the district renewal of the mandate process of all structures in Epukiro district, in Omaheke region.”  

Shaningwa revealed that the nullification of the renewal process followed after careful consideration of petitions emanating from the political district. “The national leader assigned to Omaheke region are directed to assume the duty of ensuring that Epukiro district adhere to this crucial directive by the political bureau, and they should supervise this process until its successful conclusion,” Shaningwa wrote. 

The SG further stressed that “fresh district executive nominations for the regional councillor candidates shall be strictly held, and the district conference shall take place before 8 August 2025, under their supervision.”    

THE SQUABBLES 
On 28 June 2025 Swapo party district treasurer Mcloud Ngaruka as well as district coordinator Iuonga Mbangura raised complaints with the Swapo SG regarding the manipulation of structures’ elections in the Epukiro district. They accused certain leaders in the district of handpicking leaders and delegates and thus undermining the democratic principles and integrity of the party’s electoral process by gathering supporters at known houses in Epukiro post 3 where these selections happen. 

“This approach undermines the the intergrity of the electoral process as these leaders have reinstated themselves in positions through this biased selection,” they wrote.   Confidente is also in possession of a petition which was written by one of the factions leaders, calling for the nullification of the recent delegate election process at the Epukiro district conference and alleging that the absence of an election committee duly elected by the Epukiro district executive committee to oversee and supervise the nomination of delegates. 

They further called on the regional executives to investigate the alleged irregularities and fraudulent activities associated with alleged forged documents. 

The group decried the conflict of roles by leaders, citing that one of the coordinators was nominated by his branch, yet simultaneously acted as an election officer overseeing the process. The group also raised concerns of irregularities in the delegates’ reports and evidence of fraud as well as the absence of the independent branch report.